A couple of our neighbors, Rob and “Wrong Way” Rutherford, decided they wanted to try a triathlon this year. John ran into them as they were swimming (or trying to swim) some laps at the YMCA early this spring and heard about their plan. They had signed up for a “sprint” event down at the Cape, the Hyannis Sprint I triathlon. They had it all set up as a whole weekend get-away, bringing the families for some beach time, and having a third buddy, another Rob, plan to join them.
Over the next few months, they worked hard to get ready. John offered a few tips, loaned them a book or two, and talked them into trying some open water swims at the local lake before the big day. He later decided he’d make the drive down early race morning and join the fun - and maybe even defend his title as neighborhood triathlon champ.
Race morning was an early start but a gorgeous day. Rob and Mike were as ready as they were gonna be and bravely approached the big event. They started one wave (3 minutes) ahead of John so his goal was to track them down! And he did!!! Mike and Rob plugged it out though and finished together at the end of the race! John was proud of the rookies and even prouder that he’d stomped them!! (See the gory details of the full race report on his running blog.) Way to go guys!!!! That was a lot of fun!
aww good for you guys! you’re a good mentor john!